In the first half, against the run of play, Seattle forward Obafemi Martins collected a loose ball in the Timbers box and slotted it towards the bottom right corner for a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. Then, just before half time, referee Alan Kelly whistled Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey for a foul on Martins in the box. Sounders midfielder Brad Evans coverted to double the home side's lead.

Portland, however, continued to carry much of the pace and attack. Playing without midfield duo Will Johnson and Diego Chara due to injury and suspension respectively, the Timbers largely controlled the proceedings in the first half and had an excellent look at an equalizer in the 30th minute. Newly-acquired striker Lucas Melano streaked by Roman Torres and Tyrone Mears for a one-on-one breakaway against Seattle ‘keeper Stefan Frei. But Frei came forward and stuffed Melano’s attempt before he could get a clean look, preserving Seattle’s one-goal advantage.

Portland did pull one back in the second half. In the 58th minute, Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury raced in on goal to side foot in a perfectly placed corner kick from Diego Valeri that cut the lead in half. Though Portland continued to create more chances, they were unable to find an equalizer despite a free kick attempt from Valeri at the top of the area that stood as the final touch of the game.

With the win, Seattle (12-13-2) moved to 38 points on the season and back into a playoff spot, albeit on the games won tiebreaker, after briefly falling out of contention after last weekend’s loss to Real Salt Lake. The Timbers fell to 11-9-7 and remain at 40 points for the season, good for fifth in the Western Conference.